Visitation and Viewing
Many individuals and families choose
to set aside time for a gathering of family and friends following the loss
of a family member. This is quite often referred to as a visitation
opportunity. We all benefit from a time when friends and family gather
around us to help or support us. This is true in many instances throughout
our lifetime, however, it's benefit is most noticeable at the time of a
loss.
Many people experience a sense of
numbness, disbelief, and sometimes isolation following the death of a family
member. When people gather around to assist in some of the chores
or daily tasks this can be physically and emotionally helpful. This
is similar to the idea of people gathering at the funeral home for visitation.
During this time, these people are helping to emotionally support the family.
This is accomplished through the sharing of stories and memories of the
deceased and their interactions with other members of the family and community.
This helps lift the sense of isolation that many bereaved experience as
it points out that there are others who share a sense of loss. The
family is not alone.
Presence of friends and family at
a visitation time also helps the bereaved by providing a sounding board
or a listening ear to hear the family repeat the story of the deceased
illness or the details of the accident that may have tragically taken the
life of their loved one. This helps bring about the true realization
that the person has died. This may sound somewhat unbelievable ,
but it is hard for a human being to accept that a loved one has died, because
they have always thought of them in terms of the things they have done
or the activities they have shared over the years. The psychological
side of our mind needs to hear these details of the death over and over
to convince itself, because it is so foreign to think of this live person
as now being dead. This helps in the transition from a relationship
of presence to a relationship of memory.
Viewing the deceased is also a benefit
for the same reason. The psychological part of the human mind
needs hard physical proof that the live person they have been so involved
with, is now dead.
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